Nayef

Project Sunrise is starting up "next Friday" with test flights from SYD to JFK, LHR, and possibly CDG, FRA, CPT and GIG. Seems like they're using Dreamliners.

https://www.ft.com/content/cd83ad98-...0-3b065ef5fc55

og

Interesting that GIG is on the agenda. I’d guess that there’s more front end revenue than flying into LIM or EZE.

lokijuh

Couldn’t see the linked article, behind paywall, but is it QF PR machine in overdrive?

I’m going to call fake news on CPT and GIG. SYD-CPT is less than SYD-LAX. If they wanted to do it they don’t need project sunrise aircraft for the route. Even SYD-GIG is 500 miles shorter than the recently announced BNE-ORD route, so again do they need project sunrise aircraft for that?

Is GIG just a nod to Peter Allen’s original lyrics? GRU seems to be the more trafficked destination in Brazil - presumably as it’s the business centre. GIG doesn’t even have year around flights to New York (but GRU does). If UA can’t make EWR-GIG work and AA and DL only operate seasonly from JFK - how would QF make it work over such a long distance?

dddc

If you copy the headline and then google it, you can get to see the article.

Not sure why NYC doesn't have daily flights, but AA and Finnair have flights from Miami. This may make more sense to AA to operate hub and spoke rather than direct. Coming from Europe, there are daily flights to GIG. It all depends where you are coming from and the local market I guess.

I'm glad they are doing research into the effects of this sort of travel on people, but I really think they should be doing it on a full plane load. Doing it on 40 who can spread out isn't the same as flying a packed plane where you can't really freely move around, rest because the person next you is fidgeting with a bad back or having the light on when you want to sleep. Doing it like SQ have to NY where premium economy is the lowest class is a start. Seat width, recline and padding is just as important as legroom on a flight lasting 20 hours. Some might say that isn't much different to QF1, less the stop in Singapore, but that stop gives you a chance to escape your neighbour, have shower and stretch your legs.

Interesting comment about the meal timings. I noticed CX do that on their HKG-LHR flights. Normally on the overnight flights they feed you on boarding and close to landing, but on the day flight they feed you after take off and then about 7 to 8 hours into the flight. This is because its the "lunch" time of those that boarded in HK, but almost a breakfast time for the destination. When you arrive 5 hours later at around 2 to 3 pm, it's not too long to dinner time.

Himeno

The test flight next week is the delivery flight of VH-NZI. It will have less then 20 people on board. It is part of a study to see how people deal with 20+ hours in flight.
Any real Project Sunrise flight won't be using 787s.

Sunrise has only ever talked about SYD/MEL to LHR/JFK and maybe CDG. The other ports mentioned are taken from a Qantas graphic meant to illustrate range examples, not to say that they would fly to those locations.